Lifting and transferring device



P" 29, 1930- .J A. WIENER LIFTING AND TRANSFERRING DEVICE Filed April 23 1929 2- Sheets-Sheet April 29, 1930. J. A. WIENER LIFTING AND TRANSFERRING DEVICE 1929 2 SheetsSh'eet 2 Filed April 23,

Patented Apr. 29, 1930 UNITED STATES rarer OFFICE JOHN A. WIENER, OF OSWEGO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO OSVIEGO BOARD CORPORA- TION, OF OSXVEGO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK LIFTING AND TRANSFEBRING DEVICE Application filed April 23, 1929. Serial No. 357,510.

This invention relates to a machine for automatically handling fibre boards and like sheet materials, and has for its primaryobject to provide novel vacuum-controlled lifting and transferring mechanism, having an element that enters the molding chamber of of the wet machine, and picks up the sodden sheets from the screen that supports them during the formative state, carries said sheets away, and deposits them upon carriages or other conveyors for delivery to the drying presses. A further object is to provide novel pick-up and transfer mechanism comprising a unitary vacuum box or member of peculiar construction and arrangement, which is mounted for reciprocable movements towards and from the molding position, and said box being provided with a plurality of communieating cells or compartments, having open bottoms, the bottom margins of the cell walls being arranged in a common plane, and be ing covered with a permanent sheet of coarse netted fabric, that overlies the whole top surface of the sheets and prevents the powerful vacuum from destroying the plane character of,.or otherwise distorting, the sodden and limp webs during the transferring operation. In practice, the effective lifting area of the vacuum box corresponds substantially to the plan dimensions of the boards. This facilitates the ready and rapid transfer of the product and obviates all danger of the edges or corners being distorted or broken. A further object is to provide means for reciprocating the vacuum box, and for effecting'the automatic gravitation and elevation thereof to effect the picking up of the sheets. And a further object is to provide automatic means to start and stop the reciprocating movementsof the box, as well as, to break the vacuum for releasing the sheets when they arrive at the predetermined destination. The various features and parts of the invention will be understood from the detailed description which follows, and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the complete machine, the vacuum box being in the sheetdischarging position. Fig. 2 s a vertical cross-section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section, taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, and being an enlargement of the parts in the upper left corner of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a broken side elevation of the device ofFig. l. The full lines showing suction or lifting box extended and in the act of picking up a web fibre board. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively side views of the longitudinal and transverse partitions. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the flop-valve that controls the vacuum. Fig. 8 is an enlarged broken side elevation of the carriage, showing the inclined tracks that control the lowering and raising of the vacuum box. Fig. 9 is an enlarged side view of the bumper and locking means that control the vacuum box during the pickup intervals.

In the drawings, 2 represents an elongated open stationary frame, one end of which is supported by uprights 2, while the other end may be' connected to, or supported near, a member of the sheet-molding apparatus, as

A. The longitudinal members of frame 2 consist of angle irons 2 whose horizontal webs or arms 2 constitute tracks, for :the reciprocation of a shorter and narrower open frame or carriage 3, which is equipped with roller-chains 3, that traverse said tracks. The frame 3 supports the gravitative vacuum box 4, which is fioatably mounted between the members 3 of frame 3, by means of a plurality of lateral oppositely projecting rods or gudgeons 5, the corresponding ends of which extend into the box 4, while the other ends pass through relatively large slots 3 in the upright webs 3 of frame 8. The outerends of the rods 5 are preferably fitted with flangerollers 5, that are in constant engagement with inclined or wedge-like blocks 6, that are bolted to the outer faces of the webs 3, the said wedges being substantially the. same length as the slots 3, and being so disposed as to coincide with the bottoms of said slots (see Fig. 8). The vacuum box 4 is preferably rectangular in plan (see Fig. 1), and is closed at one end and at the opposite sides by a hollow frame or conduit at, upon which is mounted a plane deck 4?. This encloses all surfaces of the box except the bottom, which is normally open. Interiorly, the box 4: is subdiconnect said carriage and said box so that same are movable longitudinaly relatively to each other to enable the vacuum box to gravitate and pick up the sheets, and means to break the'vacuum to discharge the sheets when the carriage completes its return movement.

2. A. machine for picking up and transferring wet sheets of fibre directly from the molding bed, comprising a frame formed with parallel tracks, a carriage adapted to be trundled over said tracks towards and from said bed, a floating open bottom vacuum box supported by said carriage adapted to be projected into the molding chamber means to stop the box when it registers with the sheets, means to connect the box and carriage whereby said carriage may continue its forward travel after such registry is effected and to cause said box to gravitate towards the sheets, means to create a vacuum in said box, said vacuum adapted to become effective when the box makes contact with the top surface of the sheets, means to reciprocate said carriage, and means to break the vacuum to enable the sheets to gravitate to another conveyor.

3. A machine for transferring wet sheets of pulp from the molding chamber, comprising an elongated frame, a carriage mounted for movement on said frame towards and away from said chamber, a gravitative vacuum box carried by said carriage adapted to be projected into the molding chamber to pick up the wet sheets by the forward movement of the carriage, means to stop the forward movement of the box when the latter registers with the sheets, means whereby the carriage may continue its forward movement and will cause the box to gravitate towards and to pick up the sheets, means to reciprocate the carriage, and means to break the vacuum at the end of the backward movement of the carriage. 7

4. In combination with a carriage and means for reciprocating same, gravity responsive vacuum means having movement with the carriage and to enable the carriage to move independently of the vacuum means during gravitation of the latter, means for arresting forward movement of the vacuum means at a predetermined point in the forward movement of the carriage, and means for mounting said vacuum means on the carriage and for causing gravitation of the vacuum means upon arresting thereof and upon continued forward movement of the 'carriage and upon return movement of the carriagefor restoring the vacuum means. to

initial position.

5. In combinatlon with a and means for reciprocatingsame,vacuum means and means for mounting said vacuum means .onthe carriage for movement therewith and to enable-the carriage to movement independent of the vacuum means and for causing the vacuum means to be moved by the carriage to work engaging position upon forward movement of the carriage and upon return movement of the carriage to be restored to initial position.

6. In combination with a movable carriage, a vacuum device, members mounted on the carriage to engage the device so as to effect movement of the device with the carriage and having 1ncl1ned parts, means to arrest movement of the devlce during movement of the carriage in one direction thereof eifect said independent movement of the device by and during movement of the carriage in one direction and for restoring said device to inltial position by and during movement of the carriage in a second direction, and means to operate the carriage.

8. In combination with a movable carriage, a vacuum device, means to mount said device on the carriage for movement therewith and to enable the carriage to move independently of the device, means to engage and hold the device at a predetermined point and during continuous movement of the carriage in one direction, means operable by the carriage to eflect said independent movement of the device during holding thereof bv the holding means to cause the device to. eligage the work and to restore said device to initial position and to release same from the holding means upon movement of the car-Y riage in a second direction, and means to operate the carriage.

9. In combination. with a movable carriage, a vacuum device, means to support the device from the carriage for independent movement transversely of the carriage and for enabling thecarriage to move independently of said device, means to operate the car- I riage, and means to effect said transverse independent movement of the device away from and toward the carriage during said independent movement of the carriage.

10. In combination with a movable carriage, a vacuum device, means to mount said A wmmfi dewime ma the. @arriage with the lattar and dgo efieqtmoyiememnf khe ideviae-awmy from the carriage at a predgzteimined point; in the mowmnent Lei-the .carriaga, means to Engage the device and hold same against monument. with the carriage while permit ting m moye away iron; thegarriage, and'means to Qpemte thedcarxiage;

In testimony whereof I aflix my signatiune.

I JOHN A.-"W1ENEK. 

